Pablo Zabaleta urges West Ham to offer Declan Rice a new deal

West Ham defender Pablo Zabaleta has urged the club to agree on a new deal with Declan Rice.

The highly talented midfielder’s contract expires in 2020 and the Hammers cannot afford to lose him.

Rice is the most promising young talent at the club right now and he could develop into a real star for Manuel Pellegrini.

The young midfielder was excellent in the Premier League clashes against Chelsea and Everton and he has shown that he is already a valuable first team player for the Hammers.

Zabaleta has lavished praise on his West Ham teammate. The Argentine believes that Rice has the right attitude and ability to develop into one of West Ham’s greatest players.

He said: “He is young and still has room for improvement for sure. But he has the right ability and attitude to become one of the greatest players for West Ham. He is in the last year of his contract so West Ham need to think about his situation because, even though he is young, he looks so mature and is proving he can perform for the team. He is one of those young players you like to look after and help with all the information you can give him.”

As per reports, the Hammers offered him a deal worth around £12,000-a-week but it has been turned down.

It will be interesting to see if West Ham improve on their recent offer. Rice is a top class talent and he certainly deserves to earn a lot more.

If the Hammers fail to match his demands, it won’t be long before a top club comes in and steals him away from them.